Portable cooling unit for field-level cooling of product

Abstract

A portable cooling unit is disclosed for vacuum cooling products such as product at a worksite such as a field where the produce is harvested. When cooling product, the portable cooling unit includes a retort, at least one shuttle coupled to the retort and a condensation assembly. The condensation assembly includes primary and secondary refrigerant load subassemblies. Each of these components may be disassembled from each other into modular units which may be easily transported to and from the worksite.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Field[0002]The present technology relates to systems and methods for cooling product such as produce.[0003]2. Description of Related Art[0004]Fruits and vegetables are living organisms that continue essential chemical and physiological activities after harvest. These activities can include physiological breakdown, physical injury to tissue, invasion by microorganisms, and moisture loss. Additionally, some fruits and vegetables can suffer damage while being transported hot from the field. Thus, the time between harvest and cooling to remove field heat and slow plant respiration, otherwise known as the “cut-to-cool” interval, is critical for ensuring the quality and safety of the product.[0005]The term “cold chain” refers to the uninterrupted temperature management of perishable product in order to maintain quality and safety from the point of post-harvest cooling through the distribution chain to the final consumer. The cold chain ensures that peri...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent describes a portable cooling unit for fruits and vegetables that can be easily assembled and disassembled at a worksite. The cooling unit uses vacuum cooling units that are fixed-based and difficult and time-consuming to break down and transport. The portable cooling unit makes efficient use of primary and secondary refrigerants and minimizes hazard and the triggering of administrative regulations for the use and transport of the refrigerants. The technical effect of this patent is to provide a more efficient and flexible solution for cooling produce to maintain quality and safety during transportation.

Problems solved by technology

Additionally, some fruits and vegetables can suffer damage while being transported hot from the field.

Failing to keep product at the correct temperatures can result in a variety of negative attributes including, among others, textural degradation, discoloring, bruising, and microbial growth.

For example, during transport from the field to the cooling facility in open vehicles, the produce is generally exposed to wind, sun and heat, which can result in moisture loss, physiological breakdown and textural degradation.

A further drawback is the need to have produce grown proximately to cooling facilities to minimize the time between harvest and start of the cold chain.

Vacuum cooling units at a cooling facility are generally referred to as fixed-base units, in that it is a difficult and time consuming process to break down and transport these cooling units.

All of this makes it difficult, time-intensive and costly to break down fixed-based cooling units.

Images